Mark Sanchez
π€ PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
That is Lamine.
He came to Spain by boat, along with other migrants.
Well, it starts with a few guys who came to Barcelona from West Africa, more specifically from Senegal.
And Lamine says one of the main reasons why so many people left was because the local government started to allow illegal fishing practices.
Yeah, that's a good question and the answer isn't clear.
I think Spain as a whole, because it's along the Mediterranean Sea and it's closer to the African continent, so then it's easier for them to come here.
But I think Barcelona might be attractive because there are many international people living here.
Or maybe it has something to do with Barcelona being part of the Catalan region, which is known to be more entrepreneurial.
Well, at least that is what we Catalonians think about ourselves.
When the police find people that are trying to get into the country, they take them to a center and they stay there for like a while.
It's not legally a jail or a prison, but as you can imagine, it's very, very similar.
To me, the difference between Marina and Lamine's story highlights who can and cannot find a sense of belonging here.
LamΓn is talking about being a mantero, which is the slang word for illegal street vendor in Spain.
And the selling usually happens in the most touristic areas in the city.
And it's usually men of all ages, often of West African descent, selling things like shirts, bags and other wares.
It takes a lot of skill and these guys are good salesmen.
They make you laugh and they know how to talk to you no matter where you're from.
I would say it's pretty normal since the Olympics in 92.
Since then, I think that there's more tourists in the city and I guess it was a good opportunity to sell things.
But Marina's memory of her first encounter with Mantero is much more clear.